Once again I am inspired by Mike! I make a pot of Vegetable soup that is quite popular at bourbon Society meetings. I thought I might put the recipe up here for your enjoyment. I will warn you this is a recipe I learned by watching and to my knowledge, this may be the first time it has been put down in writing, so the measurements are non existant other than "to taste". This can be anywhere from a dash to a quarter cup or more.

In a five gallon soup pot brown 5 pounds of stew beef. While browning add Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and chili powder. Dice 1 large onion and 5 cloves of garlic and add while the meat is browning in the pot. Dice 3 potatoes, 6 to 8 carrots, 6 to 8 stalks of celery and add to the meat. Open 4 cans of tomatoes - I use 2 Red Gold with Chipolte and 2 Red Gold with Basil and add to the pot. I then add two pounds frozen mixed vegetables, a head of cabbage, diced, some brown sugar. bourbon and three cans of Tomatoe Juice. I let this come to a boil and then turn the heat down. I let it set and stew for at least 4 hours until the vegetables are cooked through. This will serve about twenty hungry Bourbon Society members or a family of four for about a five days. It does freeze quite well for later use, but I recommend thawing in a pot on the stove over a microwave because the vegetable seem to stay crisper on the stove.

I've gotta admit, Mr. Veach has it goin' on when it comes to vegetable soup. He has convinced me that cabbage, Bourbon & brown sugar (and lots of other good stuff) belong in vegetable soup.

IMHO, this is the ultimate base vegetable soup recipe. You can tweak it to your taste. Personally, I love it just like this. I could live on this soup. I have actually eaten it for a couple of days straight... And here's the true test...I have eaten this soup cold...

Thanks for posting the recipe Mike.

As a Kentuckian, I consider it my civic duty to drink Bourbon, smoke and bet the ponies. Its a tuff job, but someone has to do it...

Brenda is always first in line when I have brought this soup to Bourbon Society meetings. Julian and Preston Van Winkle, Ed Foote and other guests also seem to really like this soup. I may have to make another pot soon.